Toyota Corolla

The Corolla has been the most popular car on the planet, but in 2012, a long-simmering territorial dispute between Japan and China sparked protests in China, the world's largest automotive market, and led to a boycott of Japanese products, including cars. Toyota's sales in China fell about 25 percent below expectations. Thanks to strong sales elsewhere, however, the Corolla still ranked second globally, with estimated sales of 966,000.